Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, has been pretty vocal regarding his complex relationship with religion. Born and raised in a Christian household, the US Senator later got into an angry phase of identifying himself as an atheist & now is a Catholic.
But whenever he experienced difficulties, he found a ray of hope in religion, which insisted him to keep moving.
During an exclusive talk with Desert News in 2016, Vance discussed on his perspective on Faith. When asked about religion’s role in his childhood, he said, “Faith gave me a lot of hope and it also gave me a community of people who were very supportive in a number of different ways.”
JD Vance said he had a ‘pretty chaotic and hopeless‘ childhood, but it was religion that made him believe that there was somebody who was looking out for him and a hopeful future awaiting him.
Born and raised Christian, US Senator JD Vance once struggled with his religious identity
Growing up, JD Vance practiced evangelical Christianity with his father, Donald Bowman.
But, after his introduction to modern science, he questioned his loyalty toward his Faith. In this regard, he stated, “Well, if I can’t believe in the Big Bang Theory and be a good Christian, then maybe I’m not a good Christian.”
When JD Vance joined Yale Law School in 2010, he identified himself as an atheist. However, he appears to be quite confused about whether he should consider himself a non-religious or religious person.
Even in his early 30s, the Ohio native seems unsure of his religious affiliation.
While exploring his complex connection with religion, JD Vance said that he was yet in a weird situation to describe himself as a Christian because he has no active participation in it.
JD Vance now identifies himself as a Catholic and considers St. Augustine as his patron saint
In August 2019, JD Vance converted to Catholicism, and Dominican priest Henry Stephen baptized him at St. Gertrude Priory in Ohio.
Later, in an interview with The American Conservative, Vance stated that he has lately been persuaded that Catholicism is actually a truth. Adding that despite being raised as a Christian, he never was baptized and never felt deeply connected with it.
But over time, he started realizing that the people he highly admired and looked upon followed Catholicism, and that’s what enticed him to get baptized at 35 years old.
Further, on choosing St. Augustine as his Patron Saint, he stated, “Augustine gave me a way to understand Christian faith in a strongly intellectual way.”
Additional Information
- JD Vance was born ‘James Donald Bowman’ to his father, Donald Ray Bowman, and his mother, Beverly Carol, in Middletown, Ohio, on August 2, 1984. He is currently 40 years old.
- His parents separated when he was a child. His father turned to a serious Pentecostal after his divorce from his wife.
- US Senator and Hillbilly author JD Vance is of Scotts-Irish ethnic background.
- JD Vance once credited his Hindu wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, for helping him navigate his faith.
